Barefoot Runners

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wet vs. dry (Read 542 times)

LedLincoln


not bad for mile 25

    My post-rainstorm run this morning made me wonder if there's a downside to running on wet concrete - softening of the skin or anything?  Doesn't matter for my dinky two-miler, but for longer distances?


    #2867

      I don't know about softening the feet, but I do find wet asphalt a bit more abrasive.  I'd say use caution until you have some experience with it and know what to expect for your own running gait.

      Run to Win
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      Kerry1976


      Master of the Side Eye

        I'm totally new at this, but I ran on wet pavement (sidewalks mainly) last night and was okay. But I'm really slow and really careful, too. (MTA: ran .4 miles - good for me since so new and coming from injury)

        TRUST THE PROCESS

         

         

         

          Wet asphalt always seems to have more little tiny stones that I don't see and that hurt like hell.

           


          Half Fanatic #846

            Michael Sandler's new book "Barefoot Running" discusses this, and in it he states that running BF on wet pavement will soften the soles and cause them to abrade or wear down quickly because they become soft in wet conditions - possibly to the point of having to re-establish tough pads if there is enough wet-pavement running. So, he advises against it.

             

            For the same reasons, he says if you are going to split a run into part shod and part BF, it's best to run BF first - rather than having your feet sweating in shoes, getting them damp or wet, and then running bare on pavement with wet (softer) feet.

             

            Personally, I have run 2 or 3 several milers BF on wet pavement & once in the rain with no apparent ill effect (really can't help it here in Fla.).  But those were "isolated" incidents, and had I run several times in a row and/or a lot farther on wet roads, I would probably be sorry I that did. 

             

            Bill

            "I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk.         "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt".                  I ran half my last race on my left foot!                                  

              Where is the evidence to support that claim?

               

              RunrGreg


              @RunrGreg

                I've only run once BF on wet pavement.  It was a fairly short run (1.7 miles), and I had some tiny hotspots at the end.

                 

                On the other hand, here's a post by Angie Bee on a 20K race she did in the rain.  She didn't have any problems. http://barefoot-angieb.blogspot.com/2010/06/dam-to-dam-barefoot-race-report.html

                 


                Half Fanatic #846

                  Where is the evidence to support that claim?

                   

                  I was glad to cite the source of the claim for you.  I simply added that based on my own experience, I haven't had any difficulty with running BF when it's wet, but that I might have if I did so a whole lot more.  So, I have already decided that I don't foresee it as a problem.  Nor has any other poster here so far.  Just something to be cognizant of - at least for me.

                   

                  Bill   

                  "I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk.         "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt".                  I ran half my last race on my left foot!                                  

                  LedLincoln


                  not bad for mile 25

                    Thanks for the feedback.  My tiny bit of anecdotal evidence is that I've got a couple of small tender spots on my feet now. The smooth concrete felt pretty good when wet, but the rougher places not so much, hence my OP.  Something to keep in mind.

                       

                      I was glad to cite the source of the claim for you.  I simply added that based on my own experience, I haven't had any difficulty with running BF when it's wet, but that I might have if I did so a whole lot more.  So, I have already decided that I don't foresee it as a problem.  Nor has any other poster here so far.  Just something to be cognizant of - at least for me.

                       

                      Bill   

                       I was just saying that just because someone writes a book on barefooting, it doesn't make them the end all be all.

                       

                         I was just saying that just because someone writes a book on barefooting, it doesn't make them the end all be all.

                         

                        I believe Ken Bob doesn't agree with that claim.

                         

                        I've only had blister problems in wet conditions when I'm pushing exhaustion. My first barefoot 5k (PRd over my shod time by two minutes) was post-rain, and I got a blister. My first barefoot half, in the rain, got a few really bad blisters (PRd by 15 minutes). I even got a little blister last weekend running a 5k on wet pavement. I didn't PR, but I ran so hard I puked.

                         

                        Really, I'm just replying as an excuse to bring up my first race puke again.

                         

                        I think it has something to do with form, because at slower paces in the rain I have no problems. I think I start making mistakes when I'm really tired, and for whatever reason the mistakes don't hurt when wet so I don't correct them. The main blister area is always the same: my right big toe.

                          Pushing off on the big toe too much, maybe?

                           

                            Pushing off on the big toe too much, maybe?

                             

                            Yup. I've been able to run fast in the wet without problems so long as I focus on lifting that toe quickly. For whatever reason, forgetting on dry pavement doesn't result in a blister. Or at least, hasn't so far.

                            LedLincoln


                            not bad for mile 25

                              @B-Josh: So you don't think the moisture affects the toughness of the skin of the foot?
                                @B-Josh: So you don't think the moisture affects the toughness of the skin of the foot?

                                 

                                Not sure. My feet look different after being wet for a while, but it could also be easier to slip on wet pavement. I do think that a runner's form can be good enough that foot-toughness can be compromised without any problems.

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